Marketing and Communications is the custodian of all online and offline communications, responsible for implementing, supporting, and advancing strategies developed to elevate the MUT brand. In addition, the unit is also responsible for ensuring that brand messaging and brand events are aligned to MUT Strategy 2025 whose Goal 4: Targeted national and international engagements contribute to build social cohesion and nation-building.
Brand reputation and brand management are at the heart of day-to-day activities which range from:
- Attracting quality students and staff
- Building collegiality among staff members
- Strengthening brand identity
- Telling our story of success
- Stakeholder engagement at national and international level
- Sustainable partnerships
- Corporate social responsibility
- Internationalisation of MUT
Stakeholder relations management
We position our brand with key stakeholders such as prospective learners, students and their parents, government departments and our communities through through hosting prospective learners on campus, at their schools and attendance of Career Fairs/Expos. We continuously pay attention to the needs of our communities and design bespoke corporate social responsibility initiatives pertinent to the MUT Anchor Strategy.
We communicate with our stakeholders using an integrated marketing communications approach that includes the production of top-notch publications, and an interactive online communications platform.
Our top-notch publications include our Prospectuses, departmental brochures, flyers, fact sheets, Good News Friday, a weekly newsletter; MUT Spirit (a quarterly newsletter) and Boundless, an internationalisation newsletter.
Media relations management
We play a critical role in portraying the University positively in the media. We are responsible for the development of media advisories, press statements as well as the convention of press briefings. We have a Media Relations Policy which guides how the University engages with the media.
For media relations assistance, publications profiling, interview prep and press release development, please contact, Mr Bheki Hlophe
Events management
Our events are aimed at building collegiality among staff and students, contributing towards a nation-building and a social cohesion agenda. Our institutional events include conferencing, State of the University address, staff social cohesion events and we run several small events aimed at keeping the campus lively, creating a unique lifestyle for our students and cascading important information to staff and students.
MUT Radio
MUT Radio is not just a broadcast platform, it has created a community that is shaping the voice of young people to gravitate towards positivity and encourage a new lifestyle. Students are encouraged to volunteer in MUT Radio from their first year. Those students that started with MUT Radio in 2021 when it was launched have been able to launch themselves into careers of choice.
Marketing MUT: Schools liaison
Interest in MUT has been growing exponentially from less than 20,000 applications a decade ago, to over 88,000 applications in 2023 competing for 3,300 spaces in the first year alone. MUT Schools liaison teams have found creative ways of brand positioning both in SA and in the SADC.
Building collegiality among staff
The team runs a series of campaigns and events to build collegiality among staff and students, centred around MUT values. Our flagship projects include the State of the University, graduation, and raising awareness of how each month with a holiday should not be tied only to celebrating a day but ensuring that the entire month is directed at social cohesion and nation-building.
The campaigns also encompass newsletters and website content that showcases the accomplishments of staff and students. Our flagship newsletters are: Good news Friday (GnF), MUT Spirit, VC communique and various brochures from faculties as well as a prospectus.
Strengthening brand identity
For us, our brand is more than a logo. It is a sum of our existence; a promise and a commitment to add value to our stakeholders. We view our brand as an extension of everything that we do.
To this end we created our MUT Strategy 2025 as the cornerstone of our corporate identity, and give life to this Strategy in everything we do. This includes the activities of our people, our strategic documents and policies, our corporate identity, our vision, our mission, goals and objectives, and our values.
Visit our Corporate Identity for a detailed understanding of why we are this brand.
We love our brand!
We provide specialist professional services in the stakeholder relations management, marketing and communication disciplines. Our services are derived from our Integrated Marketing & Communications strategy and stakeholder mapping. Located within MarComms are two sections; Stakeholder Relations Management and Public Relations and Brand Management as well as event management.
Through sound stakeholder relations activities and proactive stakeholder stewardship programmes; MarComms has created a positive image for MUT and is continuously building goodwill from the stakeholders. This has resulted in various investments like sponsored programmes and brand equity. Toward this end, MarComms has been spearheading the Anchor Strategy which is now the underpinning MUT Strategy 2025.
Our work is measured on a continuous programme through Advertising Value Equivalents (AVEs), web hits and various engagement programmes with strategic stakeholders.